Right Here Waiting
by MagicGirlinAMuggleWorld
Summary: James comforting Lily when she can't sleep in the days following her mother's death. Just a little one-shot of these two being really sweet to each other. Mostly fluff. TW: parent death mention (brief).


**Right Here Waiting**

In James' dream, he was floating. Not like flying – there was no wind whipping at his face, no sensation of racing through the air – just…floating. Resting on gentle waves in warm, blue water, perhaps off the southern coast of Italy or somewhere similar. The bright sun produced orange and red lights behind his closed eyes and the sea caressed his body with gentle fingers, holding him close, like a hug. He was at peace.

At least, until the sea turned rough, started shaking him, and the gentle fingers of the waves were not so gentle anymore, now they were tugging his arms, and—

He woke with a start. "Shit!" he gasped. His mind struggled to process the pale white arm extended towards him, the hand grasping his shoulder, and the slim figure to which it was attached, all blurry in the dim light of the dormitory.

He blinked and groped for his glasses, then exhaled a sigh of relief. "All right, Evans?"

She was pale, paler than usual, even. Her hair was in a loose French braid, and her eyes were red, ringed by dark circles.

She shook her head, the movement barely perceptible in the dark.

James swallowed and brought his hand slowly to his own head, giving his hair a quick rub. Stupid question, really. Of course she wasn't _all right_. Her mother was dead.

Still, even though it made perfect sense, that small shake of her head unnerved James far more than waking up to a ghostly figure hovering over his bed had.

Because Lily Evans was always _all right_. She was the stoicism of a British monarch, the charm of a Southern Belle, a paragon of duty and honor, Lady Justice carved in marble. Lily Evans was strength personified.

At least, that's what she'd have you believe. James saw through those masks – or rather, he saw that she was all those things and more – and he loved her for it. Loved every part of her, the strength and the softness, the wit behind the grace, the cracks in the veneer that weren't imperfections, just the marks of humanity.

He wasn't sure whether she felt the same about him just yet, but he'd allowed hope to take root in his chest of late. She'd long since stopped hating him, certainly, but it was only recently that he thought they might be friends in their own right, rather than people who merely spent time together because they had friends in common.

And now, here she was. Not only admitting that she wasn't _all right_, but doing so in front of him. _Only_ him. That made James far happier than he cared to admit. Especially while she was so obviously distraught.

Because, while he might've just been being dramatic, James was pretty sure it actually hurt _him _to see her hurting so deeply. He was used to Lily at her fiery best, taking his shit and throwing it right back at him twice as quick, with a wicked smirk on her face the whole time. The exasperation with which she and Remus scolded him and Sirius and Peter for whatever nonsense they'd cooked up that day. The way she taunted him with her marks in Potions while he taunted her with his from Transfiguration, knowing that later they'd likely end up in the library, revising together because really all they wanted was to bring out the best in each other.

He reached for her hand, and she let him have it. "What can I do?" he asked softly.

She shook her head again, then closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "I need to eat," she whispered. "Haven't eaten all day. And there's nothing in the girls' dorms, but you—you always know how to get food." Her eyes looked nervous, and she bit her lip before adding, "Right?"

"Right," James assured her, and he gave her hand a squeeze. He kept his tone light and let a smile touch his lips when he asked, "What are you in the mood for?"

"Nothing. Anything." She shrugged. "I just know I should eat something. My stomach feels so hollow."

James suspected that feeling was about more than missing supper, but he nodded. "Shepherd's pie," he announced. "That's what you need." He rose from his bed, still holding Lily's hand. "How about we get a fire going, and you wait in the Common Room while I go fetch it?"

"Okay," Lily said quietly. She allowed James to lead her out of the boys' dormitory and down the stairs, then she curled up in her favorite corner of the couch.

James flicked his wand at the fireplace and a small fire roared to life, casting an orange glow about the room. "There, now," he said. "I won't be long." He climbed out of the portrait hole and made his way to the kitchens.

True to his word, he was back in a quarter of an hour, a hot, steaming Shepherd's pie in one hand and a jug of pumpkin juice tucked under his arm. He set the juice on the floor next to the couch, then held the pie out to Lily.

"Thank you," she murmured, taking the dish with both hands. She sat up and crossed her legs before tucking into her meal.

"You're most welcome," James replied, settling onto the couch to watch her eat.

She looked smaller than usual, somehow. Fragile, even though he knew she wasn't, not really. Still, he had to fight the desire to pull her to him and feed her the pie himself, or at least hold her while she ate. _Being here with her is enough_, he told himself. And if she wanted him to do more, he just had to hope she'd let him know.

She caught him staring and smiled. "Mmm," she mumbled around a large bite, "Merlin, I needed this. Thank you. It's perfect." She closed her eyes as if savoring, and James grinned.

"I made a good choice, then?"

"Mmmhmm," she mumbled, still chewing. "Shepherd's pie is one of my favorites. I just…I guess I haven't eaten much these past two days."

He knew it was one of her favorites, of course. That's why he'd picked it. He reached out and squeezed one of her socked feet. "Understandable," he said softly. "But I'm glad you're eating now."

"Yeah," she replied, but she set her fork down. She swallowed hard, and James realized her eyes had gone glassy. But she offered him another small smile and said, "Sorry I woke you. I couldn't sleep, and suddenly I realized I was starving, and I couldn't think what else to do."

_And you thought of me first_, a voice in James' mind said. He didn't even try to hide his adoration when he responded, "It's not a problem, Evans. You can wake me any time you need. For anything."

She must have recognized the fervency in his tone, because she looked at him for a long moment without speaking. Finally, she nodded.

"I know." She took another forkful of pie. "That means a lot to me. Truly."

James shrugged as though his heart wasn't turning cartwheels. "I only wish I could do more."

"Your being here is enough," she said, and James was sure his heart would explode from the intense workout it was getting. "But," she added, glancing up at him through long eyelashes, "if you _insist_ on doing more, you could tell me a story."

"A story?"

"Yeah." Lily nodded. "Something…nice. Happy."

"Happy," James repeated, his eyebrows drawn together behind his glasses. "Let's see. Well, this isn't quite a story, but before you came in, I was dreaming about the ocean. Italy, I think. Have you ever been? The water's the most beautiful turquoise, and…" James trailed off at the look on Lily's face. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, I—" Lily sniffed. "It's stupid."

"I'm sure it isn't." He squeezed her foot again. "Tell me."

"I've never been to Italy," she said, her voice thick. "Mum always wanted to, though."

James grimaced and released her foot to tug on his hair. "Ah, bollocks, Evans, I'm sorry! Of all the bloody stories to tell—"

"It's fine, you couldn't have known." She smiled half-heartedly and shrugged one shoulder. "And it does sound beautiful. Maybe I'll go one day. For her."

"I'll take you," James said, then added quickly. "If you want. I mean—shit. I don't know. Let me think of something else to tell you, you asked for something happy and I think I've only made things worse."

"Don't worry about it, I just—I thought I might cry for a moment, and I'd really rather not, you know? But it's passed. You don't have to entertain me, you've already fed me, and—"

"Sirius is afraid of sharks!" James blurted out.

Lily blinked and cut herself off mid-sentence. "What?"

"Just, thinking about the water reminded me." James ruffled his hair again and smiled awkwardly. "Strange, isn't it? Not dragons, not acromantula, just sharks. It's because we saw _Jaws_ at a Muggle cinema last winter. He's never been the same since."

"I suppose that movie is quite frightening," Lily said quizzically, a bit of a smirk playing on her lips. She set her pie on the floor and poured herself some pumpkin juice. "But he knows it's not real, doesn't he?"

_Almost there_, James thought, watching Lily's lips twitch_. Almost there. _"I'm not sure," he said, his eyes twinkling. "We went to France during summer holiday, and he flat-out refused to go near the ocean. He told me, and I quote, 'Muggles get a lot of things wrong, but sharks are definitely real, and they eat people.' Said he's determined not to make it easy for them."

Lily let out a snort of laughter, nearly spraying James with pumpkin juice. She clapped her hand over her mouth in surprise. "Oh! Whoops! But Merlin bless him, the beautiful idiot. That's brilliant."

"It is, isn't it?" James said, grinning proudly as he wiped a bit of pumpkin juice from his arm. "Merlin bless him indeed." _If only for making you laugh._

"Yes," Lily agreed. She smiled and set down her glass. "And bless _you_. For all of this. I—I'm grateful you're my friend."

She leaned forward tentatively, and James stopped breathing for a second. And then, ever so gently, Lily pressed her lips to James' cheek.

His skin was on fire. James was sure of it. He was on fire in the Common Room, and it was the best thing that had ever happened to him. He cleared his throat, unable to contain the sheepish smile tugging at his lips.

"Well, erm. As am I. Grateful." His hand strayed to his hair. "And no need to thank me! If you wanted me to tell you a story every day for the rest of my life, please know that I'd do it in a heartbeat."

Lily blinked, and James cringed internally. _That's too much, _he chastised himself. _Too bloody much. _

But Lily just gave him a playful smile, one he enjoyed nearly as much as the kiss on the cheek.

"Careful, Potter," she said, swatting lightly at his knee. "I just might take you up on that."

James' grin widened. "Nothing to be careful of, Evans," he said. "I'm ready whenever you are."

...

AN: I think this was born, in part, from the fact that I've been a bit down lately, for no particular reason, but my babies being Soft with each other always makes me happy :-) Hope you enjoyed it! If so, I'd love if you left a review, or a keyboard smash, or an emoticon to let me know you love these kids, too! xoxo


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